HAMBURG, Germany – Jack Hermansson didn’t have an easy night of work against Scott Askham, but he dug deep late in the fight to get the win in a brutal three-round battle.

After battering Askham (14-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) with hard right hands and knees to the body, Hermansson (14-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) had to settle for a unanimous decision victory, taking the fight by scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28.

The middleweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 93 event at Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

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This one might have gotten off to a slow start, but the pace picked up considerably in the second thanks to Hermansson. After a first frame that was mostly an extended feeling-out process, Hermansson went on the attack early in the second, backing Askham up with sharp punch combos.

But while Hermansson landed well with a heavy right hand, Askham had no problem eating those shots. He hung tough throughout Hermansson’s assault in the second, and even threatened with a heel hook late in the round.

Perhaps sensing that his best chance at victory was in the submission game, Askham quickly took things back to the floor in the third, again attacking Hermansson’s legs. But Hermansson defended well and eventually brought the fight back to the feet, where he resumed his search for a knockout.

Still, even after multiple hard shots in close against the face, Hermansson simply couldn’t put Askham away. Instead, he had to content himself with getting the nod from all three judges, two of whom had the fight as a clean sweep for the more aggressive Hermansson.

“I’m not very happy with my performance,” Hermansson said. “I had a plan to keep a high pace, but I didn’t manage to do it. I’m in good shape, but I couldn’t get my body to respond and keep that pace. I was at his pace, and that was why it was such a tough fight.”

The win is Hermansson’s first in the UFC, and it brings his overall winning streak to nine straight fights. Askham has now lost two of his last three.